Chapter 489: Red and Black Showdown · Pillar to the Sky (Patreon)

"What do you plan to do?"

It wasn't just the Red Assassin, Semiramis, who asked this question; her Master, Priest Shirou, also voiced the same query.

The difference was that Semiramis was focused on Jeanne d'Arc, whose life creed was entirely different from her own, while Shirou was concerned with another person—a man standing beside Jeanne, occasionally casting a malicious glance at the Hanging Gardens.

"Let me see what surprises you can bring me."

Shirou's right hand unconsciously brushed the hilt of his sword, a fleeting hint of sharpness unnoticed by anyone.

What was Shinji planning to do?

Is there even a question? Of course, he would tell the truth.

The moment he landed and steadied himself, he immediately grabbed Vlad III's spear:

"Grand Duke, wait!"

"Assassin, what are you doing here?"

Vlad III was not Spartacus; he wouldn't attack indiscriminately.

"I'm here to save you," Shinji got straight to the point.

"Save me?"

Vlad III frowned slightly, unable to grasp Shinji's meaning for a moment, which slowed his command over the stakes.

Seizing this opportunity, Spartacus swung his eight arms simultaneously, launching a flurry of attacks at the three standing together.

As Shinji retreated, he shouted towards the sky, "Rider!"

"Oh! Here I come."

A spirited voice descended from above, and a magnificent platinum spear narrowly grazed Spartacus's body.

Noble Phantasm · Trap of Argalia, activated.

Any Servant struck by the spear would have their legs below the knees forcibly turned into spirit form, causing them to lose balance and fall—regardless of how many legs they had.

Naturally, Spartacus fell. Due to his immense size and weight, he fell completely, unable to support himself with his hands like a human.

Taking advantage of the pause, Shinji continued to explain, "This guy's about to self-destruct. If you stay, even you'll be blown to bits."

"This—I understand."

Vlad III wasn't foolish. Though initially enraged, once he calmed down, he could easily sense the terrifying magical energy within Spartacus. He didn't hesitate any longer and retreated at top speed. With agility parameters at A, his full-speed run was faster than the warhorse puppets he had used earlier.

After persuading Vlad III to retreat, Shinji turned to Jeanne and said, "Ruler, you should retreat too."

"But—" Jeanne glanced unwillingly at the Hanging Gardens above. They had come so far; should they give up now?

"Don't worry, I have arrangements in place. Trust me," Shinji said with a wink and a smile.

"I understand," Jeanne nodded and began to retreat as well.

"Good, the first step is done. Now I should—no, just to be safe—"

As he spoke, Shinji manifested Ishtar's war spear, using its divine power to shake the earth. This made the already perforated ground even more fragile.

With just a slight struggle from Spartacus, the ground beneath him started to collapse, making it even harder for him to get up and give chase.

Satisfied with his work, Shinji nodded and, with his Feathered shoes, took off after Vlad III.

The reason he pursued Vlad III and not Jeanne was that he needed his help.

"Grand Duke, what is the maximum range of your Noble Phantasm? Ah, I'm not trying to pry into your secrets, it’s just—"

"One kilometer."

Before Shinji could finish, Vlad III directly revealed this secret information, which should not be disclosed to other Servants. This display of leadership and decisiveness moved Shinji slightly. He admitted to himself that he couldn't be so forthright; he had prepared a whole speech, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

After a brief pause, Shinji continued,

"Then stop one kilometer away. At that time, please wait for my signal and use your Noble Phantasm on Spartacus."

"I understand, but at that distance, I can't guarantee it will be lethal."

"The lethality is secondary. I need you to use the stakes as a lift to raise Spartacus as high as possible, as close to the Red Faction's base as possible."

"You're planning to—"

A hint of excitement flashed in Vlad III's red eyes.

"I'm going to set up the Red Faction."

As they spoke, the two had already flown a kilometer away.

"Rider, how's it going?" Shinji stopped and activated "mental communication."

This wasn't a spell activated through the Master-Servant contract but a special skill learned from Chiron. Although it had many limitations compared to the "mental communication" of the Master-Servant contract, it was undeniably very useful.

"Hmm, it's a bit bad. That monster has already crawled out of the pit and is heading towards you. It looks pretty scary."

Listening to Astolfo's voice, Shinji could almost imagine him patting his chest and sticking out his tongue.

"Is that so? Then we need to hurry. Be ready and wait for my signal."

"Oh, leave it to me. I've been itching for a big fight for a long time."

"It's up to you."

With that, Shinji suddenly turned his head and looked at Vlad III, "Grand Duke! Please."

Hearing this, Vlad III raised his left hand. The surging dark magical energy swept out like shadow tides, instantly covering the entire surrounding ground and quickly extending into the distance.

In the blink of an eye, Spartacus's body began to tremble, not due to his monstrous berserker charge, but because of the deep earth, which had turned into the territory of the Grand Duke, encompassing the entire leyline of Trifas.

"Kazikli Bey!"

With Vlad III's commanding voice, his left fist clenched tightly.

In the next second, hundreds of stakes burst through the ground, crashing violently into Spartacus's body.

Yes, crashing!

The stakes' movement could no longer be described as stabbing.

The sharp stakes did not pierce from various angles as before but converged into a massive iron pillar that rose directly from the ground, lifting Spartacus's enormous body into the air.

The iron pillar was not a simple cylindrical shape; it was tapered, narrower at the top, and wider at the base, resembling a cone with its tip cut off. This design ensured the pillar would not collapse due to its height.

Realizing that the oppressors were getting farther away, Spartacus roared loudly and struggled frantically, trying to break free from the iron pillar formed by the stakes and return to the ground to continue his rebellion.

However, the oppressor standing at the pinnacle of power was well-prepared. The stakes, which had initially formed a single pillar, suddenly spread outwards, transforming into over a dozen steel rods as thick as a child's arm. These either pierced or locked around Spartacus's body, securely binding him.

At this point, it was no longer hundreds of stakes converging but thousands twisted into a single entity. It wouldn't take long for the number of stakes to break into five digits.

This is the achievement of the Black Berserker!

This is the great feat that Vlad III could not accomplish in his lifetime!

This is the miracle that Romania's greatest hero could achieve only with the faith boost from his homeland!